Josh O'Connor reveals the Queen has given her seal of approval to his role as Charles in The Crown - because The Durrells is one of her 'favourite shows'
- Josh O'Connor, 28, was told by crew that the Queen 'loved him in The Durrells'
- He said a picture was sent to her and Queen said ITV show was one of 'favourites'
- Cheltenham-born actor is set to play Prince Charles in series three of the Crown
Actor Josh O'Connor has revealed that the Queen has given the nod of approval to his new role in the Crown, and that she 'loved him' in one of her 'favourite shows', The Durrells.
The Cheltenham-born actor, who is best known for his role in The Durrells, is set to play Prince Charles in series three of the Netflix royal biopic.
Speaking to the Radio Times Josh explained how a crew member had previously taken a picture of him in costume as the heir to the throne, which had made its way to the Queen.
Josh O'Connor, pictured as Prince Charles, was told by a crew member on set for The Crown that the Queen is a fan of his and that The Durrells is one of her 'favourite shows' on TV
The Durrells, pictured is Josh, 28, as eldest child Larry, is based on Gerald Durrell's trilogy of Corfu memoirs
Josh said: 'The crew member said that someone who saw the picture told him, "I loved him in The Durrells, it's one of my favourite shows."
'I just said, "Oh, that's good", thanked him and walked off.'
Josh said that he had 'lost interest' and didn't pay attention by the end of the story, and so hadn't clocked who his big fan was.
It wasn't until later, when someone explained to the actor who the crew member had been speaking about, that he realised it was the Queen.
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Josh said: 'This crew member has managed to get this picture of me to the Queen who’d said that she loved me in The Durrells. The real life Queen!'
The Durrells, which started on ITV in 2016, is based on Gerald Durrell's trilogy of Corfu memoirs and stars Keeley Hawes in the lead role of Louisa Durrell.
Josh plays 21-year-old Larry Durrell and the current fourth season of the show is set to be the last.
The Queen, pictured at the Easter service at Windsor Castle, is said to 'have loved' Josh in The Durrells and been shown a picture of him playing her son Charles in The Crown
ITV's hit show The Durrells stars Callum Woodhouse (as Leslie Durrell), Josh O’Connor (Larry), Daisy Waterstone (Margo), Milo Parker (Gerry) and Keeley Hawes (Louisa)
Although this show is set to end, Josh will still be on our screens as Prince Charles in Netflix's The Crown.
In January he described how he got into character as the future king by learning to move like a 'tortoise'.
As part of his research Josh closely studied the young prince's body language from archive footage.
He told the Times: 'If you watch footage of the young Charles, there’s this thing — when he turns, he doesn’t turn with his body, he turns with his neck first, in a weird sort of Justin Timberlake-esque dance move.
The forth season of The Durrells, cast members pictured, is set to be the last series of the show
The Durrells star Josh O'Connor, 28, recreates Princes Charles' 1969 investiture ceremony opposite Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II in the upcoming third series of The Crown
'I like to think of Charles at the moment as a sort of tortoise, because he puts his neck out. It’s not even that he’s particularly slow, it’s more this idea of inquisitive head first.'
The third series of The Crown covers 1964-1970 when Charles was between the ages of 16 and 22.
Olivia Colman will play Queen Elizabeth II with Helena Bonham as Princess Margaret in series three of the hit drama, which will see the cast reenact pivotal royal moments over the past 50 years.
These include Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles (Emerald Fennell) flirting at a polo match in 1975, and the future king's investiture ceremony in 1969.
The Prince of Wales with his mother the Queen at his 1969 investiture ceremony. The third series, which hits screens this year, covers 1964-1970, when Charles was between 16 and 22
Quoted on a post on the show's official Twitter profile O'Connor said: 'I am thrilled to be joining The Firm for the next instalment of The Crown.
'Seasons three and four will follow some of the most turbulent events in the Prince of Wales' life and our national story and I'm excited to be bringing to life the man in the midst of it all.'
He added: 'I'm very aware it's a formidably talented family to be joining, but reliably informed I have the ears for the part and will fit right in.'
